Happy Book Birthday, The Winnowing by Jo Schaffer with Giveaway!

The Winnowing 

by Jo Schaffer 

Stanley & Hazel, #2

Month9Books

YA Historical

Darkness descends over St. Louis, a city already rocked by the Great Depression. More and more people are disappearing, and some have turned up dead. A sinister secret society is putting forward their plan known as “The Winnowing,” designed to wipe out those they consider “undesirable.”

After Stanley and Hazel foil the diabolical plans of Charles Chouteau, they become instant celebrities. Hazel is thrust into the role of debutante, and risks loses herself in it. Meanwhile, Stanley must deal with the horrific tragedy of his best friend’s death while being threatened by the unseen forces of the Veiled Prophet.

With things spiraling out of control, Stanley and Hazel’s relationship is tested, possibly beyond repair. As bodies pile up, people become more desperate. The divide between wealthy and poor grows ever wider, threatening to tear their worlds apart. Now, the two must find a way to work together if there is any hope at all of saving their relationship and their futures.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Google Play

SNEAK PEEK

“Where do you go, Hazel Malloy?” Gabriel said in her ear.
“What?”
“I can feel you thinking hard.” He chuckled.
Hazel smiled. “I like this song,” she said, embarrassed as though he could actually tell that he’d caught her thinking about him.
“I do too.” He pressed his cheek to hers, and she let him.
As the song ended, there was a slight disturbance from the far end of the room. Hazel glanced up, and her heart paused.
Bananas.
Stanley stood in the entrance of the conservatory, tall and suited up, a hard look on his face, one eye almost swollen shut. He was flanked by some of his Knights, looking rough and out of place in suits, smirks on their faces as they scanned the room. It was like Eliot Ness and his Untouchables about to raid.
The “good people” of St. Louis stared uneasily and made way as the boys stalked into the room. Hazel sometimes forgot what they must look like to everyone else. They were a tough looking lot, battle scarred, and imposing.
The song ended and in the pause before the next one began, Stanley took long strides across the room, toward where Hazel and Gabriel stood, still holding hands.
Stanley’s eye twitched. “Heya, Haze.” He tilted his head toward Gabriel. “If it isn’t soft slugger trying to get to first base.” His jaw flexed, and he breathed in through his nose, and Hazel knew he was counting to ten.
Gabriel released Hazel’s hand and calmly replied, “Good to see you, Fields. You clean up nice.”



And here she is...

Jo Schaffer was born and raised in the California Bay Area in a huge, creative family. She is a YA novelist, speaker, writer at Patheos.com, works in film production and is a Taekwondo black belt.
She's a founding member of Writers Cubed and co-founder of the Teen Author Boot Camp, one of the largest conferences in the nation for youth ages 13-19. She and a crew of local and international bestselling authors present writing workshops to hundreds of attendees at the Utah-based conference as well as hundreds of others worldwide who view the conference online.
Jo loves being involved in anything that promotes literacy and family. She is passionate about community, travel, books, music, healthy eating, classic films and martial arts. Her brain is always spinning new ideas for books and sometimes she even gets around to blogging.
Jo is mom to three strapping sons and lives in the beautiful mountains of Utah.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Happy Book Birthday, The Viking's Captive by Quinn Loftis with Giveaway!

The Viking’s Captive 

Clan Hakon, Book Two

by Quinn Loftis 

Clean Teen Publishing

YA Historical

Prophecy spoken.
Alliances broken.
Will duty come before love?
The Viking’s Captive is the exciting sequel toThe Viking’s Chosen by USA Today Bestseller Quinn Loftis.
Two worlds collide in this epic historical fiction centered on an undeniable chemistry that smolders against the odds. Richly written and injected with moments of humor, this action-packed romantic tale will leave you breathless. 

Novels in The Clan Hakon Series Include:
The Viking’s Chosen (February 12, 2018)
The Viking’s Captive (November 27, 2018)
The Viking’s Consort (Fall 2019)

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

SNEAK PEEK

“If you vomit on my lap, I will most likely throw you overboard,” Dayna, my incredibly helpful sister, told me for the fourth or fifth time.
“If you hadn’t come running after me like a sodding fool, you wouldn’t have gotten yourself captured. Then you wouldn’t even be on this boat, and you wouldn’t have to worry about me vomiting on you, now, would you?” I asked as I clutched my midsection. My stomach seemed to think it should take its cues from the ocean upon which we sailed. It rolled and flipped just like the waves.
“First, if I hadn’t come after you, then that would make me a coward and not much of a sister, so that was never an option. Second, if I hadn’t gotten captured, then you would be all alone with no one to hold your hair while you vomit, now, wouldn’t you?”
“Do we have to use the term vomit in every sentence?” Hilda, the Hakon clan Oracle, healer, and Torben’s mother, asked dryly.
“Apparently, we do since you just used it yourself,” Dayna pointed out.
Hilda shot me a sly grin, with one eyebrow raised, asked, “You don’t mind if I just put a small hex on her, do you?”
“She is my sister, so I’d rather you didn’t.”
“Thank you,” Dayna said a bit smugly.
“But if you feel it’s absolutely necessary, I guess I could overlook it,” I added, earning me a pinch from said sister.
I had no idea how long it had been since Magnus, Torben’s jarl, had captured us. On one hand, he’d done me a favor. I certainly wasn’t going to have to marry Cathal now. On the other hand, my sister and I were now the prisoners of a man who was slowly losing his mind. I wasn’t sure which was worse, being married to a madman or being stolen by one. For whatever reason, I seemed to have suddenly become a hot commodity to lunatics. I chuckled to myself.
“Pray tell, sister, what is so funny?” Dayna asked.
“Madmen want me,” I said as I groaned and shifted my head, which was indeed lying in my sister’s lap, where I very well might have been sick at any second.
“Do you think she’s already delirious from being at sea?” Dayna asked Hilda.
Hilda snorted¾a most unladylike sound. “We’ve only been at sea for half a day at most. If she’s already delirious, then we are going to need to shore up her constitution.”
I was just about to tell her where she could shove her shoring up when I quickly covered my mouth and sat up. I refused to vomit. If I did, it would feel like Magnus was winning in some bizarre, silent game between the two of us. Once I was sure I could open my mouth without anything but words coming out of it, I addressed Hilda. “I am feeling more than just my own illness, worry, and fear.” I pressed my hand to my heart and rubbed it as if that could somehow remove the ache. “There’s a pain deep in my breast.”
Hilda nodded. “That would be the anchor bond between you and my son. You are feeling his worry and fear as well as your own. And knowing how deeply Torben feels anything, I imagine he is in quite a bit of distress, though he won’t show it on the outside.” She shook her head. “No, he’s a warrior through and through. On the outside, he will look as though he could slit your throat without a second thought. But on the inside, he is frantic to get to you.”
“Is that why you weren’t wailing about the possibility of Torben being dead when Magnus said he was?” Dayna asked.
“I would know if he were dead. A part of me would die inside as well.” I looked back to Hilda. “Will he kill Magnus?” I asked.
She nodded. “It is his destiny to become jarl of the Hakon clan, as it is your destiny to rule at his side. For that to happen, the old jarl must die. Magnus will never relinquish power willingly. Our two nations will grow stronger, not only because they embrace one another’s differences, but because they need new blood. Your offspring will be strong.”
The boat gave a mighty heave, and Dayna and I both nearly fell off the small bench upon which we were perched. Hilda didn’t appear bothered at all by the motion. She noticed the expression I was giving her and shrugged.
“I’ve lived at sea a long time. She and I are well acquainted.”
“Forgive me for speaking out of turn,” Dayna said, gripping the seat beneath her as though it might try to toss her into the bottom of the boat, “but your life has been about as fun as a house rat’s on cleaning day if you’ve spent that much time on the ocean.”

And here she is...

 

Quinn is an award winning author who lives in beautiful Western Arkansas with her husband, two sons, Nora the Doberman, and Chewy the Cat who thinks he's a dog. She is the author of 17 novels, and 2 novellas, including the USA Today bestseller, Fate and Fury. Quinn is beyond thankful that she has been blessed to be able to write full time and hopes the readers know how much all of their support means to her. Some of her hobbies include reading, exercising, crochet, and spending time with family and friends. She gives all credit of her success to God because he gave her the creative spirit and vivid imagination it takes to write. 

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Sneak Peek: Jaws of the Wolf by Charlotte Jardine with Giveaway!

Jaws of the Wolf 

by Charlotte Jardine 

The Visigoth Chronicles, #1

October 30th 2018

YA Historical, Romance

He’s her father’s slave. She’s promised to another. But war changes everything.
Tervingi Territory, 376 AD. Gelvira dreams of becoming a powerful jeweler. But the arrogant son of a tribal elder wants her for a wife instead. After a Hun raid sends her people into exile, her chance to master the ancient secrets of her craft are stripped away…
Adafuns yearns to become a great warrior and win Gelvira’s affection. But as a slave in her father’s service, he has little chance of either. Captured and carried off by the Huns, Adafuns’ dream of being a warrior could come true… at the cost of losing Gelvira forever.
With her people starving, marrying the tribal elder’s spoiled son may be Gelvira’s only hope to save her family. Will Adafuns reunite with the exiles in time to free Gelvira from her loathsome vows?
Jaws of the Wolf is the exciting first novel in the epic Visigoth Chronicles series of YA adventures. If you like strong heroines, thrilling action, and rich historical detail, you’ll love Charlotte Jardine’s page-turning saga.

Goodreads / Amazon

SNEAK PEEK

After the meeting broke up, Gelvira sat by the fire, mulling over everything she’d heard. The wood creaked as someone sat beside her. Their reiks’ son, Widin. She scowled. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to him. Not after the way he’d treated Pa.
“It must be a lot to take in,” Widin said. “Most of the men will be riding to war. Sorry, not to war. To rebuild old Roman fortifications.” His face darkened and he compressed his lips.
“Did you come to Erdeu to round up warriors in Lord Angmar’s name?” Gelvira asked.
He smiled. “Also to see you.”
She glanced around. Praise the Great Mother, Ma hadn’t heard. She’d be planning their wedding feast.
Widin motioned toward her amulet. “This is new. Did you make it?”
She nodded. “After the raid. I worked on it in the evenings, to take my mind off the Huns.” There was no way she’d tell him its purpose.
He traced the outline of the wolf. “I would have thought flowers or birds more appropriate for a maiden?”
A shiver ran through her. A wrongness. Then heat flared from the metal.
Widin snatched his hand back. “It … burnt me. Was it made using the Becoming One?”
“Yes,” she replied, head spinning with excitement. Had her amulet really done that?
He scowled. “Our people are under attack. You shouldn’t be wasting your time making baubles.”
“It’s a practice piece,” she replied, biting down on her anger. “Master Raginmar used it to teach me the rudiments of the Becoming One.”
“Ah, I see.” Widin’s black look faded. “You must make me something useful, once you’ve mastered the art. I’ll need the gods’ aid far more than you, safe behind your palisade.” He wound his fingers through hers and pulled them against his chest.
Ma noticed the gesture, and beamed.
“If it wasn’t for the Huns, I’d marry you before summer’s end,” he said, leaning close so his breath brushed her skin. “My father would prefer I took a wife who brings more political advantage. He doesn’t see it, but you’ve much in your favour: you’re well born, brave, and quite lovely to look at. And your jewellery will bring me renown, now you’re learning the Becoming One.”
“You honour me,” Gelvira replied, lowering her eyes so he couldn’t see her dismay. Marry him after the way he’d behaved? She couldn’t bear the thought. “As you said, you’re a warrior. You must deal with the raiders first. At times like these, marriage must wait.”
For one terrible moment, she felt almost grateful to the Huns.




And here she is...

Charlotte Jardine writes Historical Fiction, Contemporary Romance and Romantic Adventure. Her books feature courageous heroines, big-hearted heroes, adventure and love.
Her love of history came from reading the adventures of Asterix and Tintin at a young age and continued into adult life, when she studied Classics and Roman History to postgraduate level at university.
While working as a desk slave by day, she spends her evenings escaping into other worlds via her writing. 

Website / Goodreads / Facebook

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Sneak Peek: The Tissue Veil by Brenda Bannister

THE TISSUE VEIL

by Brenda Bannister

Brown Dog Books

YA Paranormal / Historical

426 pages

What if you discovered a hundred-year-old diary under your floorboards - and then found references in it to yourself? Or if you lived in 1901, yet kept seeing glimpses of a girl from modern times? And what if both of you had problems that only the other could really understand? Emily and Aysha live in the same Stepney house and an inexplicable link develops between them, fuelled by Aysha's discovery of a journal and Emily's sightings of a 'future ghost'. Each takes courage from the other's predicament - after all, what's a hundred years between friends?

Purchase Links:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tissue-Veil-Brenda-Bannister/dp/1785451464

https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Brenda-Bannister/The-Tissue-Veil/20721984

SNEAK PEEK

Excerpt from Chapter 14 of The Tissue Veil.

Aysha hopes to go to a good university, but her mother and brother have an arranged marriage in mind. Derrick, a fellow 'A' level student at her college who is clearly interested in her, has arranged a group visit to an ice-rink...

Eight students – five girls, three lads, mostly from their history set – bundle onto the upper deck of the bus. Billie has brought her boyfriend Chris, from the photography course. Karen sits beside Aysha, while Derrick spreads himself across the double seat behind them, one hand gripping the rail in front so that when Aysha leans back his broad knuckles knead her shoulder blades. When the bus stops at the traffic lights, she catches sight of Mo amongst a group of white-capped men waiting to cross the road, presumably returning from Friday prayers. The upstairs window is grimy, but she still ducks her head.

            “When do we have to be there?” she asks Derrick. He unfolds a leaflet. “They close to re-do the surface after the midday session. We’re in plenty of time for the three till five slot.”

            Across the aisle, Billie has slung her skinny legs across her boyfriend Chris’s lap, while he is tracing the seam of the skin-tight jeans along her thigh. Billie reaches up and whispers something to him and they both glance in Aysha’s direction and smirk.

            “Reckon Del Boy’s in luck.”

            “Shut your face, Billie!” Karen snaps.

            Aysha leans forward and stares rigidly ahead; the other students in the party look embarrassed. As the bus swings around the corner towards Aldgate Station, Derrick gets up and gestures to the girls to go ahead of him. He stands as tall as the height of the bus allows, then turns to say something to Billie’s boyfriend before following them downstairs. The three of them cross the road, then hurry down Houndsditch towards Broadgate, leaving the others to follow. They are first in the queue for skates when the ice reopens at three.

            “Bit small, isn’t it?” Karen comments. The rink is situated in a raised circular enclosure, approached by wide stone steps. An outer ring of shops and restaurants surround it at a lower level and the whole complex is overlooked by tall office blocks.

            “Yeah, it’s nothing like the Lee Valley one, “ Derrick says.

            “The one at the Natural History Museum is bigger but it’d take too long to get there.”

            Had he chosen the nearest rink to make it easier for her to come? It seems plenty big enough to Aysha, who can’t imagine doing anything except picking her way around the side, holding onto the barrier. Figuring out how to move seems to require part of her brain she hasn’t used before. She tries a few shuffling steps, but then Karen and Derrick take one of her arms each and draw her forward.

            “Keep your feet on the ice or we’ll drag you over.”

            “Just glide.”

            She lets herself go and they pull her into the centre of the rink. The sun has come out and the ice sparkles. The other two change direction, but she doesn’t understand how to do this. She feels her legs shoot forward, certain she’s going to bring them all down, when an arm comes round her waist and holds her steady. Karen lets go her grip and Derrick alone guides her across the ice. Her cheek brushes against the cold zip of his hoodie and she catches a spicy waft of aftershave.

            “Try to bend your knees,” he says. “I won’t let you fall.”

            He crosses the ice still holding her and deposits her safely at the edge. She watches as he skates back into the centre, performs a figure of eight, then picks up speed and goes into an extended spin. A few city workers, sauntering back from a liquid lunch, send up a ragged cheer and Karen mouths a wow. Billie’s face shows grudging admiration and her boyfriend claps Derrick on the shoulder when he skates back to the edge.

            “Where d’you learn to do that, mate?”

            “I had lessons when I was a kid.”

            “Why did you stop?” Aysha asks.

            “Took up football instead,” he grins. “Got picked as goalie for the school team. Plus I knew there were plenty of skaters better than me. I haven’t forgotten it all though, have I?”

            He looks down at her, waiting for approval.

            “No, you were really good out there.”

            He beams, and takes both her hands, gliding backwards on the ice. This time she trusts him, follows his directions, begins to learn how to shift her weight and move her feet. If he lets me go, I’ll fall, she thinks, but I’m doing it, I’m skating! The cold air floods her lungs like a drug.

And here she is...

Brenda studied English at university and later qualified as a librarian, working in various educational settings from schools to higher education. Moving from London to Frome in Somerset in 2010 proved a catalyst for her own writing as she joined local fiction and script writing groups. She has had a number of short stories published, plus short plays produced in local pub theatre, but all the while was incubating a story based in the area of Tower Hamlets where she had worked for eighteen years.  This germ of a story became 'The Tissue Veil'.

Brenda is a founder member of Frome Writers' Collective, an organisation which has grown from a handful of members to over a hundred in the past four years, and helped set up its innovative Silver Crow Book Brand. She is also the current organiser of the annual Frome Festival Short Story Competition. A lifelong reader, Brenda rarely follows genres, but enjoys modern literary fiction, historical fiction, classics and the occasional detective novel. The latest Bernard Cornwell might be a guilty pleasure, but she'll be even more eager to get her hands on Hilary Mantel's final instalment of Thomas Cromwell's story.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/brendabannisterwriter/

http://brenbannister.co.uk/

http://silvercrowbooks.co.uk/

Happy Book Birthday, Hiro Loves Kite by Lauren Nicolle Taylor!

Hiro Loves Kite 

Paper Stars, Book Two

by Lauren Nicolle Taylor  

Clean Teen Publishing

YA Historical

We offer our wounds and scars. Understanding that’s part of what makes us beautiful. Nora finally has her beloved sister Frankie back but that’s just the beginning of their struggles. She must now become Kite. A stronger, more independent version of herself. A King. A guardian. And Kettle has Kite’s heart. She gives it freely. But as he holds it, dear and close like a lost treasure, something holds him back: A feeling that he doesn’t deserve good things. A looming shadow that threatens to separate them. Kettle must accept that he is also Hiro: A Japanese American with every right to happiness and freedom. Because Hiro loves Kite. And Kite won’t wait forever for him to tell her. But they’re standing on icy ground. As the leverage they had on Kite’s abusive father wavers and life on the street affects Frankie’s health, the challenges threaten to break their bond. Snow is gathering at the station doors and doubts are piling high. They must rely on each other. Believe in the magic that got them this far. If they don’t, it’s not just their future in jeopardy but the fates of all the street kids in their care. All the Kings.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

WHEN AN AUTHOR IS AN ARTIST AS WELL:

Author Lauren Nicolle Taylor created these amazing Hiro Loves Kite art pieces that she personally drew. We hope you enjoy this author art showcase.

Author Bio:

Lauren is the bestselling author of THE WOODLANDS SERIES and the award-winning YA novel NORA & KETTLE (Gold medal Winner for Multicultural fiction, Independent Publishers Book Awards 2017). She has a Health Science degree and an honors degree in Obstetrics and Gynecology. A full time writer, hapa and artist, Lauren lives in the tucked away, Adelaide hills with her husband and three children.

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Happy Book Birthday, To Life by Marsha Casper Cook

TO LIFE
A Young Holocaust Survivor's Journey to Freedom

by Marsha Casper Cook

YA Historical

Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR









This is the touching and inspirational story of Sala Lewis, who at age ten was left alone to wander the streets of Poland after her family was taken away by the Nazis. Sala had been out with her friends and came home to find her family gone and the apartment where she lived sealed off. Everything she possessed was no longer hers. She had no family, no clothes, no food ... Less

This is the touching and inspirational story of Sala Lewis, who at age ten was left alone to wander the streets of Poland after her family was taken away by the Nazis.

Sala had been out with her friends and came home to find her family gone and the apartment where she lived sealed off. Everything she possessed was no longer hers. She had no family, no clothes, no food, and at that moment in time, no future.

Sala was strong willed. It was easy to see that, even though she was young, Sala would not get lost in the world. She wouldn’t give up and she wouldn’t allow herself to be afraid. Her uncompromising determination led her to find the camp where her sister, Dora, was being kept. Once the sisters were together, nothing could stop them.

Their love and commitment to each other continued to be beyond reproach throughout their time together. They believed in the American dream and the land of opportunity.

From romance and inspirational to adventure and fiction, Marsha has more than 20 years of experience in the writing industry. Overall, there are 12 books, five of which are children's and 11 feature-length screenplays published and written under her name. Several of her screenplays have been optioned by Production Companies.

She has a lot of fun with her writing and with her latest romantic comedy, It's Never Too Late For Love, she has decided to use this book as the start for a new series featuring Gracie, as dog that is not only an angel, but she talks.

She is also the founder of Michigan Avenue Media and a partner of the World of Ink Network where she does her podcast, A Good Story Is A Good Story. Marsha is not only the host she currently produces all the Podcasts. Her shows are about writing and what's new in the entertainment field.

She also tackles many subjects that are currently in the news. The World Of Ink/ Michigan Avenue Media has produced hundreds of shows over the last eight years and will continue to help writers reach their goals as she did when Marsha founded the literary agency Marcus Bryan & Associates in 1996.

She achieved signatory status from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) within two years. In that capacity, she has represented more than 100 screenwriters and authors, and has also optioned books to movie production companies.

Author Links:

Website: www.marshacaspercook.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mba3308

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marshacaspercook

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marsha-casper-cook-299b118/

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/michiganavenue

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/marshacaspercook/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marsha-casper-cook

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IHjvws

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/243143.Marsha_Casper_Cook

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Kjf8I1

Audio Release: The Viking's Chosen by Quinn Loftis

 

NOW AVAILABLE IN AUDIO: THE VIKING'S CHOSEN

Clean Teen Publishing is pleased to announce that the audio book for THE VIKING'S CHOSEN by USA Today Best Selling Author Quinn Loftis just dropped! Readers can devour this exciting YA Viking Romance Adventure today in a whole new way. Dual narrated by Andrea Emmes and Chris Ciulla, this audio book is an experience not to be missed. Download your copy today or kick it old school and order yourself a CD from Amazon.

AVAILABLE TO LISTEN TODAY:

AUDIBLE / AMAZON CD / iTUNES (Releasing early next week.)

The prophesy must be fulfilled. His orders are clear: launch a raid against England and bring home the spoils of war. But the prophecy is also clear: General Torben will take a foreign bride—one who is a seer and healer just like his mother. The eldest princess of England is said to be just that…a beautiful, charming, and headstrong woman. But he's a Viking army general and she's an English princess—and one who is already promised to the king of Tara. Two worlds collide in this epic historical fiction centered on an undeniable chemistry that smolders against the odds. Richly written and injected with moments of humor, this action-packed romantic tale will leave you breathless. Quinn Loftis is the author of twenty novels, including the USA Today Bestseller Fate and Fury.

And here she is. . .

Quinn Loftis is an award winning author who lives in beautiful Western Arkansas with her husband, two sons, Nora the Doberman, and Chewy the Cat who thinks he's a dog. She is the author of 17 novels, and 2 novellas, including the USA Today bestseller, Fate and Fury. Quinn is beyond thankful that she has been blessed to be able to write full time and hopes the readers know how much all of their support means to her. Some of her hobbies include reading, exercising, crochet, and spending time with family and friends. She gives all credit of her success to God because he gave her the creative spirit and vivid imagination it takes to write.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Happy Paperback Birthday, Glitter and Gold by Sherry D. Ficklin!

Grab your giggle water and pearls because it's time to celebrate! Glitter and Gold by Sherry D. Ficklin is now available in paperback. Grab this gorgeous new paperback that will sit perfectly next to The Canary Club. More information can be found below.

Order your paperback from: AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE

Glitter and Gold: A Canary Club Prequel Sherry D. Ficklin Published by: Clean Teen Publishing Now available in paperback Genres: Historical, Young Adult

Set during the flamboyant anything-goes era of 1920’s America, these three tales are filled with intriguing characters and rich imagery from the time period—with flappers, jazz music, gangsters, and lavish wealth. Escape to a different decade today with the compelling stories of the Canary Club Anthology. 

Novelette 1- Gilded Cage Masie, the flaxen-haired daughter of notorious bootlegger Dutch Schultz, returns home from boarding school to find her family in crisis. Her mother is dangerously unstable, her father’s empire is on the brink of ruin, and the boy she once loved has become a ruthless killer for hire. To keep her family’s dangerous secrets, Masie is forced into a lie that will change the course of her future—and leave her trapped in a gilded cage of her own making. 

Novelette 2- All That Glitters A dame with brains, moxie, and killer curves, June West isn’t your average flapper. She’s managed to endear herself to the son of one of the most powerful gangsters in New York, earning herself a spot in the limelight that she’s always longed for. With the infamous playboy at her side, June has become accustomed to living the high life. Lavish parties, expensive clothes, sparkling jewels—nothing is beyond her reach. But when her carefully woven web of lies finally catches up with her, she must make an impossible choice… come clean about her past and risk losing everything, or find a way to bury her demons—once and for all. 

Novelette 3 – Nothing Gold Dickey has been down on his luck since the day he was born. Flat broke and sick of being looked down on, he meets young socialite Lillian at a wild party. The connection is like a strike of lightning. From a wealthy New York family, this debutante is everything he’s been told he can never have—and the only thing he wants. Determined to win her, he knows the only way to get her parents approval is with cold hard cash. So when a shot at the biggest score of his life comes around, he just can’t refuse…

Order The Canary Club today!

 

The Canary Club 

by Sherry D. Ficklin 

Published by: Clean Teen Publishing 

Historical, Romance, Young Adult

“Bad Luck” Benny is a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Recently released from jail, he has vowed to keep his head down and stay out of trouble. But he also needs to care for his ailing sister and the rest of his struggling family, and he’ll do anything to make that happen—even if it means taking a position with a notorious crime boss. He soon finds himself in over his head—and worse still—falling for the one dame on earth he should be staying away from.

Masie is the daughter of a wealthy gangster with the voice of an angel and gun smoke in her veins. Strong-willed but trapped in a life she never wanted, she dreams of flying free from the politics and manipulation of her father. A pawn in her family’s fight for control of the city, and with a killer hot on her heels, she turns to the one person who just might be able to spring her from her gilded cage. But Masie is no angel, and her own dark secrets may come back to burn them both.

Two worlds collide in this compelling story of star-crossed lovers in gritty prohibition-era New York.

Perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams’ A CERTAIN AGE or Libba Bray’s THE DIVINERS, THE CANARY CLUB by Sherry D. Ficklin will entice Historical Romance fans of all ages. This Gatsby-era tale filled with dazzling speakeasies, vicious shoot-outs, gritty gangsters, and iridescent ingenues has also been compared to the television series Z: THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING and BOARDWALK EMPIRE.

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And here she is. . .

Author Bio: Sherry D. Ficklin is a full time writer from Colorado where she lives with her husband, four kids, two dogs, and a fluctuating number of chickens and house guests. A former military brat, she loves to travel and meet new people. She can often be found browsing her local bookstore with a large white hot chocolate in one hand and a towering stack of books in the other. That is, unless she’s on deadline at which time she, like the Loch Ness monster, is only seen in blurry photographs.

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Cover Reveal: The Viking's Captive by Quinn Loftis

The Viking’s Captive 

by Quinn Loftis

Clan Hakon Series, #2

Clean Reads Publishing

YA Historical

COMING. . .

NOVEMBER 27th, 2018!!!

Prophecy spoken.
Alliances broken.
Will duty come before love? 

The Viking’s Captive is the exciting sequel to The Viking’s Chosen by USA Today Bestseller Quinn Loftis. 

Two worlds collide in this epic historical fiction centered on an undeniable chemistry that smolders against the odds. Richly written and injected with moments of humor, this action-packed romantic tale will leave you breathless. 

Novels in The Clan Hakon Series Include:
The Viking’s Chosen (February 12, 2018)
The Viking’s Captive (November 27, 2018)
The Viking’s Consort (Fall 2019)

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And here she is. . .

 

Quinn is an award winning author who lives in beautiful Western Arkansas with her husband, two sons, Nora the Doberman, and Chewy the Cat who thinks he's a dog. She is the author of 17 novels, and 2 novellas, including the USA Today bestseller, Fate and Fury. Quinn is beyond thankful that she has been blessed to be able to write full time and hopes the readers know how much all of their support means to her. Some of her hobbies include reading, exercising, crochet, and spending time with family and friends. She gives all credit of her success to God because he gave her the creative spirit and vivid imagination it takes to write. 

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Review: Incense and Peppermint by Cathrina Constantine

INCENSE AND PEPPERMINT

by Cathrina Constantine

YA Historical

226 pages

Peace demonstrations, sit-ins, and burning the U.S. flag following the escalation of the Vietnam War are leading to a catalyst known to the world as the Sixties. A musical revolution, hippies, marijuana, and drugs are carrying the generations—young and old—into a new decade. All the while sixteen-year-old Mary Monroe is caught between being an innocent good girl and an autumn of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll.

When her brother offers a solution to her dilemma in the form of a little pill, Mary ignores the rumba in her brain and takes a walk on the wild side. Plunged into popularity and a life she’s only imagined, she meets Michael Covington, the hot newcomer, and she’s instantly drawn in by his less than flawless exterior and bad boy sex appeal. Caught up in the danger and excitement as they drift from party to party, into underground fight clubs, and through a series of drug and alcohol fueled adventures. Mary follows her new crush into a world where young girls are never truly safe from predators lurking in the shadows and where young men are hiding from the harsh reality of war.

Feeling buzzed and as if her life is spinning out of control, Mary is assaulted by an unknown man at a party, and she’s left questioning if the enigmatic Michael is truly her hero or if he is the face behind the terrible attack. With every piece of information Mary learns about Michael, her doubts grow deeper, but with every minute she spends in his presence, so does her love.

With the war and her fear threatening to separate Mary and Michael forever, only the death of a friend, a crushing confession, and her own sensibilities can carry her over the threshold between adolescence and adulthood.

MY TIDBITS

This tale lures into the free-spirit  during the late 1960's, glancing over the war and protests, while hitting much closer to home as it sinks in.

Mary, the good-girl and nerd of her family, is about to sixteen but is drawn into her brother's world thanks to his constant persistence and a little pill. Pulled into the circle of popularity, parties, beer and drugs, the freedom spirals out of her control. Finding herself in a bad situation, she's rescued by the hottest guy at school, but that introduces a whole new level of chaos.

This is the first piece of fiction I've read about this era, and although I wasn't sure what to expect, I was immediately drawn in and enjoyed the ride. Mary Monroe is in an awkward place like many girls of that age are. Her desire to have fun and get away from family troubles (and her family has their share) is understandable. That she doesn't make the best decisions is believable and totally understandable. She has a lot to learn and tries her best to balance her conscious with her desire to have fun—not an easy task.

The book hits hard on the partying end, letting Mary sink into the free life of that time with all of its joy and pain. While telling of Mary's experience through this period, this book also shows glimpses into the other characters' lives and lets them grab hold with their own tales. In some ways, it's a coming of age and the story of how Mary finds herself.

There is romance, and while it does carry a bit of instant love, there's enough build up and uncertainties to make it sit. The hero is all a hero should be but not without his own demons, and fits the setting nicely.

Summed up, it's a nice dive into this time period and opens up some questions not only from that time, but ones that also relate to today. It's an intriguing read, and the characters stay long after that last page is read.

I received a complimentary copy and was so engaged in these pages that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.

You can find her at her website here